Season 1 - Finally Getting Started?

So after a very up and down start to the season, this would be the section of the season where we really need to string together some results together if we're to gain any momentum for the European places that we're aiming for at the end of the year. Can we fix the away form whilst maintaining the home form? Are any cup runs potentially on? Are we looking at more of a rebuild in January and in the summer than we initially believed we had to do? All of these questions will get bigger as the time goes on throughout the season, but some form and good results could make things a little easier for us if we're to be successful long term! So let's get straight into the matches.

The Matches

Bournemouth 2 - 0 Newcastle

We start with our usual away form continuing with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth. All the action happened in the first half in this game, and again our own poor play costs us. The first goal comes from our corner, which for some reason we play short, and then back, and then back again all the way to the keeper, who then kicks a long ball which we don't win the header from and they hit us on the counter to score. The second goal comes from poor defensive play from a set piece again as they take a corner and are left with a free header inside the six yard box, meaning we have some work to do on our set pieces. Second half was a nothing half, with no major chances or talking points happening for either team.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Leicester

Fortunately up next was bottom of the league Leicester, and to make it even easier for us it was at our ground where we have been consistently good other than the Liverpool game. However the scoreline makes this game look far closer than it actually was. We started well and got the breakthrough in the 15th minute, when Barnes pulls it back to the far corner of the box where Hall takes his long range effort first time and beats the keeper. Then in the next half hour we manage to hit the bar 3 times! First Murphy hits the bar with an effort from close range, followed by Trippier hitting it from a free kick. Finally Murphy just before half time hits the bar for the third time with another effort from his wing, and somehow it's only 1-0 at the break. Annoyingly the second half is much quieter again for the second game in a row, and the only major chance is in the 93rd minute where Joelinton once again hit the bar for the 4th time this game when he won his header from a corner. Still a win is a win and the attacking intent was positive even if the finishing just didn't match today.

Newcastle 5 - 2 West Ham

We then follow this with another home game against a decent West Ham team, and the game itself created a far better spectacle than anyone could have hoped for. Both teams took 19 shots, with us edging the amount on target with 10 to their 8, but the goals were flowing. It started in the 20th minute when Hall whips in a great ball, it was missed by Isak but the rebound comes to Wirtz who taps home. Five minutes later Bruno unleashed a screamer into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Unfortunately they then get one back from a corner when some more bad defending leaves them a free header and a way back into the game. The momentum started to switch and just before half time they once again get down the wing and cross the ball in to an unmarked striker for the second free header of the game to equalise for half time. The first 15 minutes of the second half were quiet but then Murphy beat his man on the right and cut it back to the penalty spot, for Tonali to run on to and give us back the lead. Five minutes after this Wirtz picks the ball up on the half way line, beats three defenders and gets into the box before finishing into the far bottom corner to make it 4-2. Then finally we got our fifth through Wirtz playing the ball through the defence for Isak to run on to and beat the keeper to seal the victory.

Brentford 3 - 3 Newcastle

Back to the away games and despite having a solid performance, we somehow concede 3 goals from 3 shots on target to only take a point away from the game. The away form curse is starting to look like a thing. They took the lead early when they take a throw in to Dasilva who brings the ball in field and shoots from the edge of the box. We then get one back immediately thanks to a wonderful curler into the top corner from outside the box by Gordon, good timing as it was just as I was starting to consider his place in the team. We then have to wait until the second half but we come out strong, and Hall delivers a cross into the box which Isak climbs higher than his defender and heads home to make 2-1. However the lead didn't last long as 3 minutes later they take a free kick and once again we leave Norgard completely free to head home to equalise. With 10 minutes left we think we get the winner, when Murphy slides it through for Isak to place it under the keeper and in to give us a late lead. But the away curse is a thing, and in the 94th minute Norgard takes a shot from the edge of the box which once again Pope doesn't get near and we leave with a point.

Newcastle 2 - 0 Wolves

Thankfully for our next game we kept the attacking momentum, and this time ruled out Pope being able to get beaten as we didn't allow a single shot by Wolves. An excellent defence performance whilst still able to create chances and give ourselves the win. Despite creating plenty of chances, we weren't able to take any of them and ended up going in at half time 0-0. It took until the 60th minute, when Murphy provided a low cross from the right which went all the way through to our other winger for Gordon to tap home and give us the lead. The second then comes when Joelinton just launches a long ball forward over the top, but Kuol's speed get's him there before the defender and he's able to then get into the box and chips the keeper for a great goal from the youngster. We should have had a third, when the ball broke through to Le Bris in the box but his close range effort was brilliantly saved by the Wolves keeper to keep the score at 2-0. The away curse might be a thing, but the home form is looking strong still.

Man U 0 - 2 Newcastle

Despite two teams with lots of quality in the ranks, the first half was an awful game of football. Neither team managed a single shot on target and only managed 3 shots each to show a real lacklustre performance all round. Fortunately some stern words at the break cracked our team into shape a little more and created far more shots, however still only 2 on target. The positive being, both of those shots went in and we got another away win! The first came from Lewis Hall breaking down the left and getting a low cross into the box which Wirtz ran on to and tapped home for the opener. The second came from us playing the ball across our midfield, but when the ball came to Barnes on the right he seen the gap in the defence and made a run for it, broke his way into the box and slots home into the far corner to give us a comfortable lead. Much more in control of the second half and a deserved win.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Everton

Last time we won an away game, we balanced it out by losing our next home game so was slightly concerned after beating United that we may slip up against Everton. Fortunately we came out strong again and despite dominating the game in terms of chances, poor finishing again meant we only won 1-0. The goal came from Barnes beating his defender on the right and cutting it into the box for Isak to finish easily and he's started to get some goals going now. The second half we had more chances again to add to it, with Isak hitting the post and the bar whilst trying to get the second, but whilst we were doing this we were nullifying the Everton attack and giving them no chance of getting back into it despite only the 1 goal lead. Another good win for us and we might finally be starting to build some form.

Nottingham Forest 0 - 2 Newcastle (Carabao Cup)

Another away game to follow, and a rotated team to go with it due to being in the Carabao Cup. However the mostly rotated team were able to get the better of Forest and put us through into the next round. Our first came from their mistake, when they try to play a back pass to the keeper and Isak intercepts it, goes round the keeper and taps home into the open goal. Then just before half time Le Bris gets the ball on the edge of the box and hits it into the far bottom corner, getting his first goal for the club since joining us this summer. The second half was a quieter affair again, with the only major talking point happening in the 93rd minute when they tried to get one back, but Odysseas makes a goal line save to keep his clean sheet on only his second appearance for us so far in goal. Now that is us through to the semi finals!

Crystal Palace 5 - 2 Newcastle

Two away wins in a row and you think we're starting to get something going, then Palace come along and despite a good attacking performance in terms of creating chances, defensively we were all over the shop and they took full advantage. It started early when more poor defending from a corner gives them an easy header to go up 1-0. Wirtz then gets the ball on the edge of the box and places it into the corner to equalise with a very classy goal. Next we get our second goal from a Tripper corner being met by Botman who gets his first goal for the club and gives us the lead. Then from this point our defence and midfield essentially forgot what they're doing for the rest of the game. We give the ball away cheaply which results in a long ball forward for Nketiah to run on to and finish to get them an equaliser. This is shortly followed up by a ball being played out wide to their wing back who is wide open with no one near him, and he hits it back across goal which Pope gets nowhere near and it gives them the lead. We then concede two identical goals from corners to put this game well out of sight, before we think we may have one back but Gordon is disallowed for offside. I guess the away form isn't fixed just yet and set pieces still has a lot of work to do.

Newcastle 5 - 1 Ipswich

After conceding 5 goals in the previous match, we got the perfect bounce back by scoring 5 ourselves. The final of the promoted sides to deal with after beating the other 2, we found Ipswich the easiest to play against and got our best result. Kuol got the ball out wide, knocked it infield to Wirtz who's first touch takes him straight past his defender and then curls it into the bottom corner to give us the lead. Quickly followed up by Kuol popping up on the other wing, and this time he gets a good cross in which lands on Joelinton to head home to double our lead. A few moments later Hall takes the corner which is met at the near post by Joelinton for his second header of the game to make it 3-0. Five minutes pass and we get another corner from the opposite side, this time Wirtz takes but once again Joelinton gets on the end of it to score a hat trick of headers and give us a 4-0 lead. However we still wasn't done in the first half, and Wirtz once again got the ball deep in midfield, ran through everyone to get into the box and smashes it into the far top corner to score a wonderful goal. The second half was a bit of a precession with the game already being done, and Ipswich did get a tap in to get one back but there was no threat of it ever growing from there and we just slowed it down to see the game out.

Spurs 1 - 4 Newcastle

Our final game of the calendar year was an away game against Spurs, which meant the away form curse vs what seems to be a gift of a game whenever I play Spurs met and only one could win. In this instance, the gift kept giving and we dismantled the Spurs team with a comfortable win. The first half was quiet, not too much happened but just when it looked like we were going into the half 0-0 we got a corner, and Trippier put it right on Dan Burn's head to give us a 1-0 lead. But this wasn't the end of it, as 3 minutes later Wirtz released a pass over the top of the defence for Gordon to run on to who slotted home to make it 2-0 and 2 goals scored in extra time of the first half. Things were looking comfortable at this point, until Pope decided he wanted to make things interesting, passing the ball straight to the Spurs attacker who just returned the ball back past him and in to make it 2-1. As the game went on it stayed pretty even but Tripper played a bad pass, which somehow Willock managed to recover and now had the Spurs player out of position who was marking him, he broke into the box and laid it across for a tap in for Isak, who got his 10th goal of the season. He then added the icing on the cake as a poor back pass was pounced on by Isak to then finish past the keeper for his second of the game and giving us a 4-1 away win.

The League

We have jumped up the league on the back of this form, as we only lost 2 games and drawn 1 from the last 2 months of football and have found ourselves up in 4th place. We still need to improve if we are to stay here and be more consistent as the years go on but we're looking pretty favourably on a European place this season which will help massively. It's also being helped by people like Florian Wirtz getting both player and young player of the month for November, and then the board boosting our transfer budget by £137m for the January window, meaning those positions we identified for younger back up options to grow into our team was now a possibility to get fulfilled. Looking at the rest of the league, it continues to be a massively disappointing season for Brighton now sat at the very bottom, and on the flip side West Ham and Villa are performing strongly to be in the European places, both currently ahead of Spurs, Chelsea and Man U.

Next Time...

The next part of this season will be a shorter one in terms of games being played, with just three Premier League games being played but our first match in the FA Cup plus both legs of the semi final of the Carabao Cup against Liverpool. However we will also cover all the ins and outs of players that we have transferred at the end of the transfer window and we will also take a quick look at any managerial changes to the teams in the league.